One small voice, endless praise, and joy in the very trying.
The Arc
Keep the One in mind today. The One is the finest jewel there is, a diamond, a ruby. The One shapes people who turn to the Guru, the way a mint presses clean, true coins. Ask the One to be kind to you. The One's goodness is too big for your one small tongue. You can still sing it, and the singing fills you with joy. The One is your breath, your best friend, your closest companion. Tune your mind, body and voice to the One. Then the Naam is your wealth. Like a bride welcomed by her beloved, you sing with joy. At the centre, the Rahao: remember the One, the finest jewel, who shapes you true like a coin from a mint.
Key Vocabulary
parh-taal — a hymn in shifting rhythm; hence the tumbling, repeating words.
ratan javayhar laal — jewel, gem, ruby; the One as the most precious thing.
ghaRh taksaal — the mint; the heart struck true like a coin.
nihaal — enraptured, lit up with joy.
suhaag — a bride's joy of union with her beloved; the soul's union with the One.
Themes and Cross-Connections
The mint-and-coin image (taksaal) recurs in Gurbani as the shaping of the true self. The doubled and tripled words are the signature of the partaal form, and the swelling repetition itself enacts the overflow of praise.
For Raag Kaanraa
The partaal brings Kaanraa's devotion to a rhythmic boil: longing turns to overflowing song. The joy is located in the trying, so even a small voice belongs.
Hukumnama
Subject: Remember the One, the finest jewel Preview: a diamond and a ruby, coins pressed in a mint, one small tongue, a best friend, a bride's joy
Today: Keep the One in mind today. The One is the finest jewel there is, a diamond, a ruby. The One shapes people who turn to the Guru, the way a mint presses clean, true coins. Ask the One to be kind to you. The One's goodness is too big for your one small tongue. You can still sing it, and the singing fills you with joy. The One is your breath, your best friend, your closest companion. Tune your mind, body and voice to the One. Then the Naam is your wealth. Like a bride welcomed by her beloved, you sing with joy.
Remember the One, the finest jewel, who shapes you true like a coin from a mint.
For today: Sing or hum something you love today, and let the joy of it fill you.
One small voice, endless praise, and joy in the very trying.
The Arc
Keep the One in mind today. The One is the finest jewel there is, a diamond, a ruby. The One shapes people who turn to the Guru, the way a mint presses clean, true coins. Ask the One to be kind to you. The One's goodness is too big for your one small tongue. You can still sing it, and the singing fills you with joy. The One is your breath, your best friend, your closest companion. Tune your mind, body and voice to the One. Then the Naam is your wealth. Like a bride welcomed by her beloved, you sing with joy. At the centre, the Rahao: remember the One, the finest jewel, who shapes you true like a coin from a mint.
Key Vocabulary
Themes and Cross-Connections
The mint-and-coin image (taksaal) recurs in Gurbani as the shaping of the true self. The doubled and tripled words are the signature of the partaal form, and the swelling repetition itself enacts the overflow of praise.
For Raag Kaanraa
The partaal brings Kaanraa's devotion to a rhythmic boil: longing turns to overflowing song. The joy is located in the trying, so even a small voice belongs.
Hukumnama
Subject: Remember the One, the finest jewel Preview: a diamond and a ruby, coins pressed in a mint, one small tongue, a best friend, a bride's joy
Today: Keep the One in mind today. The One is the finest jewel there is, a diamond, a ruby. The One shapes people who turn to the Guru, the way a mint presses clean, true coins. Ask the One to be kind to you. The One's goodness is too big for your one small tongue. You can still sing it, and the singing fills you with joy. The One is your breath, your best friend, your closest companion. Tune your mind, body and voice to the One. Then the Naam is your wealth. Like a bride welcomed by her beloved, you sing with joy.
Remember the One, the finest jewel, who shapes you true like a coin from a mint.
For today: Sing or hum something you love today, and let the joy of it fill you.